Growing Up Sato
by StormeSixx
Summary: These are Asami's stories. While I am definitely a big fan of the Avatar, I feel Asami is quite the unsung hero in the series who deserves so much more attention and screen time. I hope these stories will allow us a peek into the past that shaped the heiress, experience her triumphs and heartbreaks, and grow along with her into the gifted engineer we all love.
1. The Aftermath

Author's Note1: This story is my creation. However, it is based on original work by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. (In other words, I don't own anything about the Avatar universe. Otherwise, I'd be on the other side of the panels at SDCC. ) No deliberate infringement of anything intended. This is merely for personal enjoyment, melding their published canon material and my wild imaginings. As such, I want to express my thanks to the Almighty Bryke for the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. The richness of their writing and artistry has made me a lifelong fan of both series. (And, obviously, without their creation, there would not be this creation.)

* * *

A shadowy orange tint colored the skies above Republic City. It had been three days since the battle with Kuvira and her Earth Empire army; three days since the city was literally torn apart and yet a grubby haze still hung in the air of the nearly demolished capital of the United Republic of Nations. Dust, dirt, and debris stirred up from the skirmishes around the city just would not clear up. It lingered, heavy and gloomy, just like the mood enveloping Republic City and her people.

City Hall (or rather just the front of what was left of City Hall) served as a temporary hospital with several volunteer physicians, White Lotus healers, and the Air Nomads providing care and comfort to the injured and the grieving. Stretchers, cots, and makeshift beds littered the front steps where the casualties of the battle were taken. Asami finished dressing the wound of a United Republic soldier then rolled down the sleeves of her jacket as she sat down next to his cot. It had been a long three days. They hadn't had time to sleep, much less shower and change clothes. Search and rescue efforts began almost immediately after the Great Uniter's surrender, with President Raiko coordinating the operation from Air Temple Island (since his office at City Hall was destroyed.) Asami took in a slow breath as she did a quick survey of her surroundings.

So much destruction. So many injured. Despite the ordered citywide evacuation, not everyone left. Old man Katsu was sobbing over his mother as a rather tired-looking White Lotus healer grimly shook her head at the man before slowly covering the elderly woman with a sheet. "My family was one of the first settlers in Republic City," he had vehemently said when a United Republic soldier came pounding on his bookstore door heralding President Raiko's evacuation directive. "We will not leave. Nishimura Books is as much an icon of Republic City as the statue of Avatar Aang. We cannot leave." Indeed, Nishimura Books was a fundamental mainstay of Asami's early life. Ever since she could read, Asami's parents would take her to the bookstore every week for something new to read. They were such regular customers that Mrs. Nishimura would always have several books ready for Asami to select. Asami's gaze lingered on the quaking shoulders of old man Katsu as he softly repeated, "We couldn't leave, we just couldn't leave."

Over on the other side of where Asami sat, an Air acolyte, Bolin, and Pema were kneeling around a stretcher trying to hold down an Earth Empire soldier as a healer dressed in Water Tribe blues tried to soothe his burns. Even with three people, they weren't having much luck restraining the man until Tenzin joined the group. The harried Water Tribe healer gave the elder Airbender a gratified smile before bringing a globule of glowing water to the injured man's torso. Slowly, his struggles ceased and he calmed down enough to where the extra set of hands was no longer needed. A relieved sigh passed the soldier's lips and his shoulders flagged but, just in case, his human restraints kept their hands in place.

The orchestra of discord filled Asami's ears and she took in another slow breath, lowering her head to rest against her folded forearms. Then a pained shriek split through the cacophony of the improvised infirmary and Asami's head snapped upward, looking toward a tent next to where Tenzin was. "Monkey feathers! That bloody hurts!" a shrill voice cried out, sounding most aggrieved. "You said it wouldn't hurt! You said it'd be like an ant bite! You said you knew what you were doing!" the voice continued to accuse _somebody_.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Korra's voice yelled back, just as loud and just as wounded. "I lied, ok?! I had to reset the bones! There is _no way_ it wouldn't hurt!" The grim situation notwithstanding, Asami couldn't help a small smile at Korra's indignant tone. With a tired sigh, she laid her head back down on her forearms, grateful for the opportunity for a short reprieve.

"Master Tenzin! Master Tenzin!" an acolyte called out from below the steps of City Hall. "Master Tenzin, we found the wreckage. We found the Hummingbird wreckage!" he added as he ran up the stairs toward the Airbending Master.

Asami and Tenzin's attention immediately focused on the advancing acolyte. While both stood up at about the same time, Asami's legs were quicker to move and she ran toward the dusty man, intending to bypass him to sprint down the steps. With a burst of Airbending, Tenzin intercepted the Sato heiress with a gentle but firm grip on her right bicep. "You don't want to do this, Asami," he said, his voice solemn and weary. "Let me take care of this for you. Please," he added and moved to stand just in front of the young woman. Her jade eyes, wide with confounded anticipation, looked from the front steps to Tenzin and back to the steps. Rooted to the spot, she swallowed hard and looked back at Tenzin with tears brimming but she willed her tears to not fall. Her indecision was obvious, though. She _needed_ to see the wreckage for herself but she also _did not_ want to see the wreckage. She did not want to see _him_. Not like this.

By this time, the dusty acolyte had reached the pair. "We found the Hummingbird wreckage, Master Tenzin. _The_ wreckage. We also found …" he tried to continue his report to Tenzin, only to be silenced with a glare by the senior master. A quick glance at the grieving young woman by Tenzin's side and the acolyte quickly lowered his head, clearly regretting his impetuous outburst in front of Asami. The young man brought his hands to his back and stood waiting to finish his report to the elder Airbender.

"You have done so much for us, Asami. For this city, for the Air Nation, for my family," Tenzin lowered his voice and his hand. "Please, let me do this for you."

"My father …" her voice cracked as she trailed off.

"Your father died a hero. Remember him that way," the Airbending Master gave Asami's shoulder a gentle squeeze. Pema had joined them now and moved to guide Asami away with a soft hand around the young woman's waist but Asami remained rooted to the spot.

In the meantime, Korra popped her head out of the tent, having finished getting her rebuking from her angry patient. Seeing Asami, Tenzin, and Pema gathered around the acolyte, she looked over at Bolin and asked, "What's going on over there?"

Bolin spared a quick glance at the soldier he was still restraining and, seeing that he appeared to be sleeping soundly, stood up and made his way to Korra. "They found the wreckage. Asami … _Hiroshi's_ wreckage," he said quietly, lowering his head as if ashamed to have broken that news to Korra. Without another word, Korra sped to Asami's side.

"Sweetie," Pema said, once more attempting to tug Asami gently away. "Let's go over here, shall we? Please, let Tenzin handle this. You've done enough for today," her voice tender, as if she was speaking to one of her own children.

Korra slowly walked up and stood to Asami's left. She looked toward the steps then to the acolyte and finally at Tenzin. With a nod from her mentor, Korra touched Asami's elbow and said, "Come on, Asami." The raven-haired woman looked over at Korra and, with a furrowed brow, allowed Korra to lead her away.

Before the young heiress could move away, the Air Acolyte reached out his hand and grabbed the edge of her jacket sleeve. "Please," he said with some hesitation. Looking over at Tenzin for a quick second, he reached his other hand out deliberately toward Asami, the golden edge of something peeking out from his closed fist. "Your father's sacrifice saved a lot of people, Miss Sato. We wouldn't be here if not for him. _I_ wouldn't be here," the young man almost choked on his words. "I am sorry for your loss, Miss Sato," he added as he opened his hand to reveal a mangled pair of gold-rimmed spectacles.

Asami gasped and her lower lip started to tremble at the sight of the spectacles. Her father's spectacles. She reached for them with a shaky hand and, as she grasped the crushed frames, her resolve to not cry almost broke. Clenching her jaw to hold back the tide she knew was coming, she said a soft "Thank you" to the young acolyte before walking away with Korra and Pema.

Bolin waved at Korra as he opened the flap of a nearby tent. "It's empty," he mouthed at her. Bless his heart of gold; Bolin somehow always knew what to do for everyone. With a nod, she led Asami to the tent as Pema rejoined Bolin.

Once inside, Asami took a few steps away from the tent opening and stood facing the back of the tent without saying a word, her gaze lowered to the gold-colored frames in her hand. Korra stood by the entrance, awkwardly looking at the back of Asami's head and the tent floor. Not knowing what to say, the young Avatar decided it was best to remain quiet and let Asami break the silence when she was ready. However, Asami remained wrapped in silence as she kept looking at the pair of twisted frames in her hand. "I can straighten that out for you, if you'd like," Korra offered, extending her hand despite being behind Asami still.

"No," the anguished mechanist replied after a breath. "I … I'd like to keep it like this. It's … it represents h-his … goodness," she murmured. "He wasn't al-always like this. He was a good man but … he lost his way," Asami added wistfully before falling silent again, her eyes focused on the pair of mangled frames.

"I'll always catch you if you fall. I'll always protect you," Asami finally spoke again after a few minutes. Her voice was so soft Korra wasn't quite sure if she actually heard the heiress.

"What?" she asked Asami, almost as softly.

Without turning, Asami replied, "It's what he told me one time when I was little. Before my mom was killed. I'll always catch you if you fall. I'll always protect you." She paused and held the crushed frames to her chest, breathing in a shaky breath. Her shoulders started quaking and the tears she had been holding back for three days finally fell freely. Not knowing what else to do, Korra walked up behind her friend and wrapped her arms around Asami's shoulders, letting her just cry.

* * *

 _"The end," Yasuko Sato smiled at her daughter as she closed the book in her hands. Long, slender fingers swept Asami's dark locks back from her little face. She pulled the red comforter up and tucked it around the sleepy girl before bending down to place a soft kiss on Asami's forehead. "Good night, sweetheart," she said and started to get up from her perch at the edge of Asami's bed._

 _"Tomorrow we get another book?" Asami asked, her heavy lids barely able to stay open. "This one's finished already," the little heiress added as she fought to stay awake long enough to hear her mother's response._

 _"Yes, dear, tomorrow we'll get another book," Asami's mother smiled warmly. "I'm sure Mrs. Nishimura will have several set aside for you already. Now, go to sleep. You can hardly keep your eyes opened anymore."_

 _"Wait," Asami reached out for her mother's hand. "After that, we go to the park?" she asked through a muffled yawn._

 _A quiet chuckle escaped Yasuko's painted lips. "Yes, Asami. We'll walk to Nishimura Books then we'll walk to the park and, before you ask," she paused and tapped her daughter's little button nose lovingly. "After the park, we'll walk by the arena on the way home."_

 _"Who's playing tomorrow?" Asami stifled another yawn as she snuggled lower into her bed._

 _Yasuko pondered for a second but before she could answer, her husband appeared at the doorway to Asami's bedroom and announced, "The Ba Sing Se Badgermoles and Kolau Komodo Rhinos. And … guess who's got tickets?" his thick fingers were closed around three tickets as he waved them excitedly in the air._

 _With a thrilled squeal, Asami launched herself out of bed; all sleepiness seemingly spent. The littlelest Sato bounced up and down on her bed, clapping excitedly as Yasuko frowned at her husband, "I just tucked her in. Besides, it's a weeknight."_

 _He waved her off, "Don't worry, it'll be a fast game. The Kolau Komodo Rhinos will wipe the floor with the Badgermoles in no time flat. Isn't that right, Asami?"_

 _The little girl took on a serious look and replied in her best sports commentator voice, "Why, that is correct, Daddy. The Kolau Komodo Rhinos have had an **astounding** season, winning every game they have played thus far." Holding up a pretend microphone, Asami continued to regale her parents, "Making an **astounding** comeback after last season's injuries and poor coaching, the Rhinos have gotten themselves a new coach and his **astounding** strategies have helped propelled the Kolau Komodo Rhinos powerfully toward the championship."_

 _"First, there's Earthbender Chung Yan. His powerful barrage right off the mat is just so intimidating, it leaves the other team rightly rattled and unable to even carry out their intended game plan. What an **astounding** strategy by the Rhinos' new coach!" Asami's "commentator" voice getting more and more shrill as she continued her report, exhilaration spurring her to higher and higher bounces. "And, let's not forget Puja, the Rhino's **astounding** Waterbender!" Asami paused and pretended she was the probender in question, mimicking a few Waterbending moves she'd seen. "She's managed to soak every single one of their competition, pushing them all the way to the edge within the first few minutes of the game, and setting them up perfectly for Daisuke to knock them out." Asami put one hand to her ear as she had seen the sports commentators do and brought her pretend microphone closer to her mouth before announcing, "The team's Firebender, Daisuke Mori, has single-handedly KO-ed his counterpart in the last five games out of seven. What **astounding** teamwork!"_

 _"Astounding!" Hiroshi echoed his little girl's new word of the week with a hearty laugh. "Besides," Hiroshi moved to put his arm around his wife's shoulders, "This can be a new Sato family tradition. Probending and ...," he shot a conspiratorial look at his daughter._

 _Asami's green orbs sparkled with delight and she bounced even higher on her bed. Sleep was definitely not coming anytime soon. "And ... ALL THE FIRE FLAKES WE CAN EAT!" she shrieked with absolute glee._

 _"No, no, no," her mother wagged a finger at her. "Remember the last time you ate all those fire flakes?"_

 _"But, Mother," Asami tried to reason with her mother in her best grown up voice. "That was **last** time. I've grown up since then," she added with a tilt of her head._

 _"That was last week, dear," Yasuko tried to contain her smile._

 _"I fail to see your point, **dear** ," Asami retorted with a smirk._

 _"Yes, **dear** ," her father joined in. "What is your point?" he asked with a scheming smirk._

 _"You two are ...," Yasuko began, shaking her head._

 _"What?" Her husband asked, looking over at Asami and winking._

 _"Astounding!" Asami interjected, bouncing on her bed once more._

 _"Brilliant!" Hiroshi added, tapping his right forefinger with his left as if counting out each descriptive word._

 _"Captivating!" the bouncing girl called out._

 _The father-daughter duo went back and forth calling out terms alphabetically until Yasuko interrupted the flow with, "Incorrigible! You two are incorrigible," Yasuko said with a smile. "I'm going to bed. Good night you two," she kissed Asami on her head and left Hiroshi to tuck his daughter back in._

 _Morning came with an animated Asami running around the Sato mansion yelling repeatedly, "It's new book day! It's probending day!" She jumped on the couch and bounced around until Li Yun, the housekeeper, caught her up and swung her around before passing her over to the butler standing nearby. The pair had been in the Satos' employ since before Asami was born. The couple loved her like their own. The butler put her on his shoulders and trotted to the kitchen just as Asami's parents came down the stairs._

 _"Rikyu, you spoil her," Yasuko said to the butler as she walked up alongside the pair and stroked her daughter on her head._

 _"The little miss is special," Rikyu merely said, smiling as he lowered Asami onto her seat at the breakfast nook and went off to bring in their food._

 _"You need to stop making him give you rides, Asami," her father ruffled Asami's raven locks as he sat down next to her. "You're going to hurt his back one of these days, especially as you keep growing," he added as he reached for the tray of fried bread Rikyu just placed on the table._

 _"Are you calling me fat, Daddy?" she cocked a thin brow at her father and reached over to pat his round belly. On her other side, Yasuko covered her mouth as she, unsuccessfully, attempted to suppress her laugh. With an indignant scowl, the elder Sato gingerly pushed away the tray of fried bread and, instead, reached for some fresh fruits to go with his porridge. "Eat your breakfast, dear," he said before grabbing the top of Asami's head and ever so gently twisted her back toward her own bowl._

 _After breakfast, Yasuko and Hiroshi walked Asami to Nishimura Books. It was a bit of a walk from the Sato Estate to town but the trio always relished their time together. They had always been inseparable. As soon as she spotted the door to the bookstore, Asami broke away from her parents and ran in. She greeted Mrs. Nishimura in the form of a book report, telling the woman all about the book she had just finished reading with Yasuko. "Take a breath, Asami," the bookstore owner chuckled at her excited chatter. "She sure is a talker, isn't she?" Mrs. Nishimura added, looking at the little girl's proud parents._

 _Asami continued to tell Mrs. Nishimura all about the book until the creaky door to the basement opened and Asami stopped mid-sentence. A young man dressed in a light gray shirt and a neat, tweed suit with his dark hair slicked back was standing at the basement doorway. A bright crimson rose in his lapel and a big smile was on his lips as his golden eyes set on the little girl. "Mr. and Mrs. Sato!" he greeted the pair then returned his attention to their daughter. "And Asami! How's my girl?" he said and got on one knee in front of her. Asami thinned her lips into a shy smile and scooted nearer her mother's legs. "Still not going to talk to me? How are we going to go on a date, then?" the young man teased her._

 _"Katsu, stop tormenting the poor girl," Mrs. Nishimura chided her son, shaking her graying head. "She's so red already, she just might go pop!"_

 _Katsu chuckled and focused his attention back to Asami. "Have you found a book for this week, yet?" he asked her, to which Asami smiled widely but only silently shook her head. "Well, I've got something for you!" Katsu announced quite dramatically and jumped up, a dusty patch on his knee. He held his hand out to Asami and, when she didn't take it, he wiggled his fingers at her. Slowly, she turned to look at her mother and Yasuko smiled at her daughter, nodding her encouragement. Asami gingerly took Katsu's hand as he led her to the counter then walked behind it. He pulled out a book about half as tall as Asami and just over two inches thick. "This just came in yesterday and I immediately thought of you when I saw it," he presented the book to the wide-eyed child. "365 bedtime stories! One for each day of the year," he described the book. Asami gasped loudly and Katsu chuckled, "She … speaks. Kind of." This caused Asami to snap her mouth closed and looked over to her father. With emerald eyes wide as saucers, she nodded excitedly at him._

 _The adults in the room laughed and Hiroshi told Mrs. Nishimura they would take the book. "I'll carry it for you, sweetheart," her father told her. "It's just about the same size as you!"_

 _From Nishimura Books, the Sato trio slowly made their way to the park. Asami walked hand in hand with her mother but she kept glancing over at Hiroshi to make sure he was sufficiently protecting her new book. "I still have it, Asami," he said with a chuckle when he spied her glancing over at him yet again. "It's still in one piece, I promise."_

 _"Can we read a story when we're at the park?" she asked, leaning over to look expectantly at both her parents._

 _"But it's not bedtime yet," her mother teased._

 _"We can pretend!" Asami declared with a smile. "I can't wait until bedtime. I'll **die** by then!" the little girl exclaimed, dragging her hands down over her face dramatically._

 _Her parents laughed at her overacting but Hiroshi caved. "One story," he promised her with a smile. "One **short** one. You have to save the rest for bedtime. And the rest of the year."_

 _Upon reaching the park, Asami dragged her parents over to "their spot" – a shaded patch under one of the biggest trees in the park. Its big, leafy branches created just the perfect canopy for the trio to have picnics, Pai Sho games, and, of course, very short bedtime story readings. "Come on, let's read," Asami sat herself down quickly and patted to the grass next to her._

 _Shaking their heads at the precocious girl, Hiroshi and Yasuko sat themselves down on either side of their daughter. Yasuko flipped through the book and stopped when her eyes caught a short two-paragraph story. "A long, long time ago," she began to read to Asami, with Hiroshi providing sound effect support as appropriate._

 _"The end," her mother finished the very short story and closed the book._

 _"Swing time!" Asami jumped up from her spot and sprinted over to the set of swings. Her parents leaned against each other and watched her as she carefully climbed on then started to propel herself, swinging higher and higher. "Daddy!" the little girl called out as she continued to swing herself higher. "Daddy, look, I'm an Airbender! I can fly!" she announced before launching herself into the air as the swing's trajectory reached its apex._

 _Her parents' eyes widen with shock as Hiroshi scrambled to his feet and ran toward the girl already in the air. As she started coming back down, he knew he wouldn't reach her in time so he launched himself toward Asami, meaning to intercept her in mid-air. Hiroshi's strong hands barely caught his daughter just under her arms and, for a moment, they both appeared to be suspended in the air. Pulling Asami close to his chest, Hiroshi spiraled his body right before they both landed on the ground with a heavy thud, the air knocked out of the poor man. The elder Sato groaned as he lay on the ground but he held on tightly to his daughter._

 _"You caught me, Daddy!" Asami leaned into her father and kissed his cheek._

 _"Of course, sweetheart," he said through gritted teeth. "I'll always catch you if you fall. I'll always protect you," her poor father added in a raspy voice as he continued to lay on the ground in agony._

 _"Asami! What were you thinking?" her mother called out as she ran up to the pair. "Are you two alright?" she asked both of them, quickly checking them over for any signs of injuries._

 _Yasuko helped her daughter off Hiroshi and Asami patted her father's stomach, declaring, "I'm fine, Mom. Daddy gave me a soft landing." With a giggle, the little girl skipped back to the tree and her new book._

 _Yasuko slowly helped her husband up, gently dusting his back as he sat up. "Good thing for the soft landing," she teased her husband, rubbing his round belly._

 _"And you wanted me to go on a diet," he chuckled then groaned, his hand reaching for his lower back._

 _"That was quite a leap. I never knew you were so agile," Yasuko said as she helped him up and lightly swept dirt off Hiroshi's jacket._

 _"I'm not," he groaned as they slowly made their way back to Asami under the tree. "I think I broke something," Hiroshi moaned, grimacing as he tried to straighten out his back._

 _"What?" Yasuko frowned and did a quick once-over of her husband._

 _"Me," he replied wretchedly. "I'm too old for this. She's going to be the death of me one day," Hiroshi bemoaned his fate._

 _"Wait until she starts dating," his wife muttered under her breath._

 _"Bite your tongue, woman!" Hiroshi gasped, a hand to his heart. "You're supposed to be on my side!"_

 _Yasuko chuckled, her laughter light and sprightly. "Come on, old man, let's get you home and into a hot bath," she slipped her arm through her husband's and guided him. "I'll send for the physician. Maybe … we should call it a day?"_

 _"No," Hiroshi waved off her concern. "We can't miss the **astounding** Kolau Komodo Rhinos," he mimicked his daughter much to Yasuko's amusement. Releasing himself from his wife's hold, Hiroshi joined Asami under the tree. Looking at Hiroshi and his little princess, Yasuko saw the fervent bond between father and daughter. Asami adored her father and Hiroshi would do anything for her._

* * *

Korra rested her chin on Asami's shoulder and leaned her head sideways against her friend's. "I can't replace him," Korra breathed softly against Asami's ear, still holding her from behind. "But I'll always catch you if you fall. I'll always protect you."

At those familiar words, Asami finally turned around and engulfed the Avatar in a tight hug, tears rolling down Korra's left arm as the grief-stricken young woman cried some more.

"I'll always protect you," Korra whispered. "I'll always protect you."

* * *

Author's Note2: This is my first time writing fan fiction so, any feedback would be appreciated. Tell me what you thought of the story, where do I need improvement, what worked, did you like any of it? Please and thank you!


	2. Picking Up The Pieces

Author's Note1: This story is my creation. However, it is based on original work by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. (In other words, I don't own anything about the Avatar universe. Otherwise, I'd be on the other side of the panels at SDCC. ) No deliberate infringement of anything intended. This is merely for personal enjoyment, melding their published canon material and my wild imaginings. As such, I want to express my thanks to the Almighty Bryke for the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. The richness of their writing and artistry has made me a lifelong fan of both series. (And, obviously, without their creation, there would not be this creation.)

* * *

Republic City still needed rebuilding. The injured still needed tending. Lives still needed mending. Despite all that, Asami just could not bring herself to get out of bed. She was tired, weary, and her heart was broken. It was only three days ago that the hummingbird wreckage had been recovered and it had been all she could do to not rush to the crash site and dig her father's body out herself. Several people had volunteered to be on heiress-sitting duty while Tenzin and the Air acolyte who first reported the discovery tended to the retrieval of Hiroshi Sato's remains. Mostly, it fell to Pema and Korra. They would take turns to stay with the inconsolable industrialist. Today was Korra's turn.

After tossing and turning for the last fifteen minutes, Asami finally threw the comforter aside and sat up. Sitting on the edge of her king sized bed, the engineer stared blankly at the wall ahead, a frown etching its unfamiliar contours into her porcelain smooth features. Slowly, she got up and grabbed her dressing gown, putting it on as she walked to the phonograph on one of the side tables in her bedroom. Her shaky hand reached for a well-worn record sitting next to the player and, very carefully, she set the needle onto it.

As the first strain of the melody started playing, Asami's shoulders sagged and she sighed heavily. Tightening the knot around her dressing gown, she opened the balcony doors and stepped out. The sun would rise soon, bringing with it another day and another opportunity for her to do … something, anything, or nothing. However, for Asami, it wasn't a new day. The sky went dark and then it lightened but it was the same day for her. It was that same day from three days ago. Despite being tired, Asami just could not sleep and had not slept since finding out her father's body had been located.

A soothing baritone voice filled the room with love and promises as Asami wrapped her arms around herself, willing her mind to go back to a time when this particular song would play over and over again in the study downstairs, to a time when her father twirled her mother around as this song touched their hearts, to a time when this song symbolized the eternity that a little girl thought she would have with her parents. A soft knock jolted her out of her reverie and Asami turned to look at her bedroom door but did not answer.

Slowly, the door opened and Korra edged her head into the room, smiling widely at her friend. "Hey," she greeted the heiress, immediately registering the dark circles and her bloodshot eyes. "I thought I heard music. This is beautiful," the Avatar said, inviting herself into Asami's room. "I don't understand the words, though," she added, twirling her right forefinger in a circle around her ear.

Asami walked toward the Avatar and smiled sadly at her. "It's an old Fire Nation dialect," she explained, picking up the record cover and handing it to Korra. "This was my parents' song."

"Wander with me," Korra read the title of the song. "What's it saying?" the Avatar asked.

Having been at the helm of Future Industries for many years, Asami could tell when someone was trying to distract her. It had happened plenty of times when an overzealous subordinate bit off more than they could chew and, consequently, could not meet deadlines; or when chauvinistic board members thought they could slip one past "the girl" and try to get an agenda item approved without her. However, this wasn't some cocky executive or demanding shareholder. It was Korra. Her friend. Her _best_ friend who was just trying to take care of her. So, she decided to indulge Korra.

"It's a love song. Or rather, a song about the promise of love," the industrialist explained. "It was actually how my Dad got my Mom to marry him," she chuckled lightly at the memory of a story she had been told many, many times. "The little steps I take to you, the world and the moon take them too as they wander with me," Asami translated after the baritone voice sang a line from the chorus.

"Wander to far away from here, to a place where I discover my heart, wander to know if your heart can love mine too."

"It's beautiful," Korra said softly, not really wanting to disturb the hauntingly exquisite song. "But why does it sound so sad?"

Asami paused to consider the Avatar's words for a moment. "I guess it does sound a little sad," the heiress nodded in agreement, smiling at Korra's observation. "Maybe … maybe because it's about someone looking for love and then finding it but feeling a little afraid because … because they're not sure if they're … enough for the other person to … to say yes?" Asami tried to explain as she continued listening to the words. "My heart wanders this earth, it wanders forever until one day, when your heart wanders with me," Asami's green eyes looked into Korra's as she spoke the closing lines of the song, a tear slowly making its way down her cheek. Korra reached out her hand to Asami, silently declaring her support in a soft squeeze and they just stand there holding each other's hands. For her part, Korra tried hard to not keep asking Asami if she was alright. Anyone could tell that the heiress was anything but alright. It was enough that Korra was there for her.

Meanwhile at the crash site, Tenzin, Bolin, and a few of the Air acolytes had begun to clear away the mountain of debris to, finally, reveal the crushed hummingbird mecha suit. The young Earthbender had insisted on helping, saying it'd be faster for him to clear away the debris with bending than for the acolytes to manually remove piece by piece. The elder Airbender was just giving directions to one of his Air acolytes when movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention.

"Lin, what are you doing here?" Tenzin asked Republic City's Chief of Police. "It's only been a few days. You should still be resting, healing."

"Have you ever tried to tell a Beifong what to do?" Bolin asked Tenzin, quirking a brow at the Air Nomad.

Befuddled for just a moment, Tenzin nodded to himself, "True, true."

"Your mother is still alive, Tenzin," the Chief pushed her way past the elder Master. "Don't try to be her. _My_ mother is still alive too. Definitely don't need another one. I came to help," Lin said gruffly. "I've had all the laying around I could stand for just a bump on the head. Besides, I heard you found Hiroshi's body. I …," the Chief's voice suddenly got caught and she cleared her throat. "If I hadn't brought him, Asami might still have her father around. This is the least I can do."

Tenzin took a few steps toward Lin and placed a warm hand on her shoulder, nodding his understanding. "Come, we have much to do still."

Bolin had moved most of the debris aside already and the crushed mecha was visible. Lin and Bolin both got into a low stance and ripped away the skin of the ruined prototype. After the frame was exposed, Chief Beifong stopped and stood in front of Bolin with a hand on young Earthbender's shoulder, "Kid, I'll take it from here."

Bolin looked at blankly the Chief for a moment and quietly thinned his lips at her. "You know, I've been in a war. I've seen things."

"This is different," Lin's face was stern but her voice was soft. "This is your friend's father."

Bolin opened his mouth to protest but thought better and merely nodded silently as he stepped away from the wreckage. When he was far enough away, Lin finished excavating and waved Tenzin and an acolyte over. While they dealt with the remains, Lin swept up the skin of the hummingbird into a big wad and walked over to a shaded spot. Her skilled fingers flew as she pulled and shaped the metal to her will.

"What are you making?" Bolin asked as he joined the Chief, his keen eyes never leaving the morphing mass hovering between her hands. "Is that … are you … you're making a …" he started to ask as the metal began to take a familiar shape.

"We're going to take the remains back to Air Temple Island," Tenzin joined the pair after awhile. His eyes widen in surprise when his gaze set on the object Lin had formed then slowly, a small smile formed on his lips. Raising his eyes to hers, Tenzin nodded appreciatively and said, "I'll go with you to see Asami. I need to talk to her about the funeral arrangements anyway." With that, the trio made their way to the Sato Estate.

The elderly Rikyu opened the front door of the Sato mansion a few minutes after Bolin's spirited pounding. He had been a butler at the Sato household since before Asami was born. After his wife, Li Yun, passed away, Asami insisted he stayed at the estate. She didn't like the idea of him living by himself at his age and having to make the commute from his house to the estate, even turning one of the guesthouses into a personal residence for him. She always considered him family. His aged amber eyes settled on the group of early morning visitors but were not entirely surprised to see them.

"I will fetch Miss Sato," Rikyu said quietly, as he stepped aside to let the trio in.

Before too long, Asami descended the stairs, still clad in her dressing gown, with Korra close behind. Bolin gave a wide, toothy grin and a double thumbs up when he saw the two young women make their way to the three of them.

"So sorry to come calling at such an early hour, Asami," Tenzin apologized for the group.

"Kid," the Chief took a step forward and looked up at Asami, unsure of how carefully she needed to tread around the engineer. "Asami," her voice taking on a softer tone as her light green eyes gazed woefully at the despondent heiress.

"Lin, what are you doing here?" Asami asked, concerned for the still-injured woman even as her own heart was wounded. "Shouldn't you be resting still?"

"Have you ever tried to tell a Beifong what to do?" Tenzin quipped over Lin's shoulder, earning a savage glare from the Chief, which caused him to visibly wilt back.

"We have something for you," Lin sounded almost bashful as she slowly extended a linen-wrapped package toward Asami.

Carefully, Asami took the package and unwrapped it to reveal a metal urn. She looked up at Lin and then at Tenzin, her brows coming together in a question.

"It's scrap metal from the hummingbird," Lin explained, taking the urn out of Asami's hands and holding it up.

"Lin collected the metal and made it into an urn," Bolin offered.

"It would be a fitting vessel for your father," Tenzin added, a gentle smile upon his visage.

"We can have his name engraved on there," the Chief drew a line across the urn with her slender finger. "And … or … whatever else you want added on there. Dates, a saying, his favorite quote … anything?"

Asami looked at the urn in Lin Beifong's hands and slowly reached out a shaky hand toward it, her jade eyes glazing over as she was lost in thought.

* * *

Yasuko decided it was just too beautiful a day to spend indoors. Asami will be starting kindergarten next year and there would be less free time for them to just be together. Yasuko was going to maximize all the free time they had between now and Asami's sixth birthday so …

"Let's go for a picnic," Yasuko announced loudly as she walked through the house looking for her daughter. She had already sent the housekeeper and butler to prepare a basket. "It's too pretty to stay indoors, don't you think?" she asked the little girl upon finding her face down in a thick encyclopedia in the library.

Asami slammed the book closed and jumped off the chair into her mother's arms. "Can Princess Yue come too?" she asked.

"Errr … no," Yasuko replied. "She's a fish, dear."

"But it's such a beautiful day and she's been cooped up in her bowl and she wants to go out too and she …" Asami started babbling non-stop excuses to her mother.

With a resigned sigh, Yasuko acquiesced. "Fine, she can come," she stopped Asami's rambling discourse and the little girl sprinted to her room to fetch her fish bowl.

The drive to the park wasn't a long one but it must have felt like forever for poor Princess Yue. Asami had placed the fish bowl on the floor of the Satomobile and it sloshed the fish all over the place.

"I don't think your fish enjoyed the ride," Li Yun told Asami, pointing to the agitated koi in the bowl.

With a slap to her forehead, the littlest Sato exclaimed, "Oh, no! I forgot to make sure she was ok. I'll make you feel better, Princess Yue."

As Yasuko, Li Yun, and Rikyu assembled their picnic site and spread, Asami wandered to the edge of pond with Princess Yue, the water in the fish bowl sloshing out with every step the littlest Sato took. As she was walking, Asami hugged the bowl to her chest with one arm while the other slowly stirred circles in the bowl. Despite its golden scales, the poor koi looked positively green. "You ok in there, Princess Yue? Feeling better now?" Asami peered into the bowl as she continued to make her way to the pond. "You should be better now than during the drive here. I'm sorry I forgot earlier. If I'm moving and you're moving too, you won't get dizzy but if I'm moving and you're not, then you'll be dizzy. Daddy told me all about it. It's called equibroom," she explained to her fish as she continued to make sure Princess Yue was "moving along" with her in the bowl.

As she stood by the edge of the pond, she spied a handful of koi fishes making their way to the left and then to the right and back again. "Hey, look, they must be your cousins!" she bent over and held Princess Yue's bowl right up to the edge of the pond. "Do you want to say Hi to them? Maybe … maybe you can … do an activity with them?" she asked her pet koi as she pulled the bowl back up, sloshing more water out.

In the distance, she could hear Yasuko call out her name, telling her lunch was ready. "Alright, Princess Yue, you have one hour. Go stretch your fins but you better be back here in an hour, young lady," she instructed the koi before making a pitching motion and sending Princess Yue literally flying out of the fish bowl and into the pond. Gasps could be heard from the few people standing nearby. Without missing a beat, little Asami turned to one woman on her left and exclaimed, "Look, it's a flying fish!" before collapsing in raucous laughter at her own joke. "Flying fish! Ha!" The woman simply dropped her jaw even lower at the antics of the littlest Sato but could not utter a word in response. "I'll put your bowl here so you can find your way back!" Asami yelled out as she placed the bowl at the edge of the water before sprinting back toward her mother.

Asami plopped herself down on the picnic blanket and Li Yun automatically reached out for her hand, wiping one down with a wet towel she had brought.

"Asami, dear, where's your fish bowl?" Yasuko asked her daughter, looking around the park.

Asami silently pointed toward the pond with her one clean hand as Li Yun finished cleaning the other one.

With a sigh, Yasuko went to collect the fish bowl, muttering to herself about Asami leaving things everywhere. As Mrs. Sato walked away, Rikyu quietly handed Asami an egg tart, winking at the little girl conspiratorially. Dessert before lunch! There was a reason Asami liked Rikyu best.

Very quickly, however, Yasuko returned to the picnic spot with the empty fish bowl in her hands. "Asami, where's your fish?" she asked, holding up the empty fish bowl.

Asami merely pointed toward the pond again as she took a big bite out of the egg tart.

"What do you mean by that?" Yasuko stared at her daughter.

With an exasperated sigh, Asami explained, "It's alright, Mom. She's just taking a walk. You know, stretching her fins."

"She … sh-she's taking a walk?" Yasuko asked haltingly, her eyes wide.

"I told her to be back in an hour," Asami very calmly explained before stuffing the rest of the tart in her mouth.

"Y-you told … hmmm …" Yasuko could not find the words to finish her sentence. She looked at both Li Yun and Rikyu but they were just as equally stunned. Nodding slowly, she sat herself down next to Rikyu and reached for a sweet roll.

"She's just taking a walk, Mrs. Sato," Rikyu teased her. "She'll be back in an hour. Right, little miss?" the butler added looking over at Asami and grinning.

"A walk. She … she's taking a walk … ok," Yasuko muttered to herself. Asami did not seem too worried about it so her mother decided she would not worry about it either. They would either find the fish or they would not. In her mind, however, she was already planning a clandestine trip to the pet shop for a replacement koi later that evening. She would wait until her husband was home, though, so he could distract Asami while Yasuko went to "rescue" Princess Yue from the other savage koi in the pond.

Lunch was a boisterous event but soon the hour was up and it was time to pick up Princess Yue. Asami grabbed the fish bowl in one hand and Rikyu's hand in the other, tugging him toward the pond. "Come on, we have to go get Princess Yue. She's been in the water long enough. She's going to get all wrinkly like I do when we go to the beach."

Rikyu looked over at his wife and Yasuko Sato, eyes wide as saucers. They both merely shrugged at him helplessly. With a resolute nod, the butler picked up Asami and slowly made his way to the pond. "You know, little miss, Princess Yue is a fish. She's always in the water. She's used to it so she won't get wrinkly," he tried to reason with Asami.

The little Sato heiress merely shook her head at Rikyu, her arms and the fish bowl wrapped securely around his neck. "No, I get wrinkly at the beach because it's not regular water. This is _her_ beach. It's not her _regular_ water in the bowl so she's going to get all wrinkly too," Asami sighed at her butler, peeved that she even had to explain this to a grown man. "She's a princess. We can't have her all wrinkly, Rikyu." Giggling at her own unintended joke, Asami started chanting "Wrinkly Rikyu, Wrinkly Rikyu" until they reached the edge of the pond.

Rikyu put the little miss down and let her walk toward the water but all the while, he kept a careful eye on his charge. Asami looked this way and that at the water, searching for her koi. "Princess Yue!" she called out. "Princess Yue, it's time to go home!" Alas, no fish came. With a heavy sigh, Asami sat down and started to take her shoes and socks off. "Children these days!" she lamented. "You give them an inch, they'll take two in the bush," Asami muttered to herself.

Rikyu was quick to Asami's side with a hand on her shoulder. "What are you doing, little miss?" he asked with a tilt of his head.

"She's forgotten her curfew. We have to go get her," Asami very plainly pointed to the pond. "You're going to want to take off your shoes, Rikyu. Or they'll get sloshy. Daddy gets mad when I get my shoes sloshy."

Rikyu looked between the little girl and the pond and back again. "You can't go into the pond. It's … it's not allowed," he gestured toward the body of water.

Asami's gaze went to the pond and everywhere else nearby then shook her head. "There are no signs that say that, Rikyu. Come on, take off your shoes," she told him as she stood up, hands on her hips as she impatiently waited for the butler.

By the time Rikyu had taken his socks and shoes off, Yasuko and Li Yun had arrived at the pond.

"You go to one end and shoo her toward me and I'll put her back in the bowl when she comes up," Asami instructed her butler rather matter-of-factly as she waded into the water, not caring that her dress was getting soaked (much to her mother's chagrin.)

Rikyu looked over at the two women and Yasuko grinned wickedly at her butler then waved him toward the other end of the pond, "Go on, Rikyu, shoo Princess Yue toward Asami."

The butler scowled at the pair of women but obediently rolled up his pant legs and waded into the water, much to the amusement of his wife and Yasuko Sato. Rikyu looked around the pond at the many koi fishes swimming by, feeling rather lost. "Which one, little miss?" he asked, looking at Asami.

The little girl frowned at Rikyu, "You can't tell?" With a shake of her head, Asami pointed to a seemingly random koi swimming by, "Good grief, man! Call yourself her godfather, indeed! That one, of course!"

Rikyu nodded, intoning, "Of course."

The butler chased a few of the fishes toward Asami as she kept calling out to her Princess Yue. When she finally scooped up a golden koi into her bowl, she yelled out triumphantly, "Finally! You're in trouble, young lady! I hope you enjoyed yourself because you're grounded until you're 40!" For emphasis, she shook the bowl a little to make her point to Princess Yue.

"I think we've had enough fun for one day," Yasuko stretched a hand out to her daughter to help her out of the pond. "Let's take Princess Yue home," she added, peering into the fish bowl and shaking her head at "Princess Yue."

Li Yun peered into the bowl too as she squeezed water out of Asami's dress. "I could've sworn there was more room in that fish bowl," she whispered to Yasuko, to which Mrs. Sato just subtly shook her head in response.

Packing up everything, they drove back to the Sato Estate just as Hiroshi came out the front door, "I was wondering where everyone was."

Yasuko proceeded to tell her husband about what happened at the park with Asami and Princess Yue. Quirking a brow at his precocious princess, Hiroshi peered at the fish in her bowl (quite certain that's not Princess Yue either.) "Grounded until she's 40, huh?" he knelt down to Asami's level. "Well, that'll teach her, right? Children these days," he tsk-ed at poor Princess Yue in the bowl as Yasuko merely rolled her eyes at the father-daughter pair.

"Oh, yes, it's for her own good," Asami explained to her father. "Children these days just keep pushing the boundaries, don't you think so, Hiroshi? She's going to give me gray hairs soon," she grumped to her father.

With a chuckle, Hiroshi picked up Asami and they both walked into the house with her regaling him about the problem with children these days. Yasuko merely looked at the retreating pair, shaking her head and smiling.

A few days after that, the Republic City Council put up a No Fishing sign around the pond, as well as, an advisory against harassing the fish life in the water. A few days after that, unfortunately, Princess Yue died and little Asami was just devastated. "If … if I un-ground her, w-will she come … will she come back?" she asked in between big, heavy sobs.

"No, sweetheart," Hiroshi rubbed gentle circles on her back. "It doesn't work that way, but you know what we can do? Let's give Princess Yue a funeral. That way, her spirit will rejoin Tui and La in the spirit realm."

Asami nodded her agreement, too distraught to answer. Hiroshi handed her to Yasuko and quickly ran to this workshop. "I'll be right back!" he said as he sprinted off. In his workshop, he dug around for some scrap metal sheet before finding a suitable piece under the chest armor prototype he had been working on for the police department. About thirty minutes later, Hiroshi had fashioned an urn out of the scrap metal and returned to the still-crying Asami in her mother's arms.

"Look Asami," he handed the urn to his daughter. "We can put Princess Yue in this and bury her right in the backyard, ok?"

Taking her daughter in his arm, the father-daughter pair walked off to the backyard to bury Princess Yue. Yasuko followed behind quietly as she watched Asami being comforted by her father in his strong arms. The bond between father and daughter is unmistakable - Asami adored her father and Hiroshi would do anything for her.

* * *

Lin quirked a brow at the heiress when she didn't get a response, "Asami?"

"Yes," Asami finally answered, shaking the fog away from her mind. "A … a koi. I would like a koi etched on the urn, please," her words soft and tinged with a very clear fondness.

* * *

Note: Sorry for the long silence, folks. Real life, sadly, gets in the way sometimes. The inspiration for the Fire Nation song was Josh Groban's Gira Con Me. I had it on repeat for the longest time. It was very soothing and healing and exactly what I needed. Happy New Year!

* * *

Author's Note2: This is my first time writing fan fiction so, any feedback would be appreciated. Tell me what you thought of the story, where do I need improvement, what worked, did you like any of it? Please and thank you!


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